How many people in the entire Haizhou City have the surname Zhou?
She naturally understood Zhou Yi'an's identity.
However, she didn't have time to answer Sally's questions.
I was so engrossed in enjoying my own gossip that I had no time to care about her.
The minister was completely bewildered: Where am I? What are they saying? Why can't I understand? Minghui Enterprise is going bankrupt? Why would it go bankrupt? Isn't it doing quite well now?
Minister: ...Why is it that even when the young lady argues, it's so different from what I expected?
Xu Qingzhu's words were like a bombshell to Zhou Yi'an.
She immediately frowned.
“Miss Zhou, what do you think?” Xu Qingzhu calmly asked in return.
She is like a bamboo stalk standing alone in the world, seemingly battered by wind and rain, about to collapse, yet still retaining a glimmer of life.
This vitality is like a spark in spring; it only needs to fall into the wild grass to start a prairie fire in an instant.
Just like Minghui Jewelry today.
Xu Qingzhu spoke slowly, without using her home-field advantage to suppress her, nor did she show any fear.
He stated his views neither humbly nor arrogantly, while simultaneously praising her and threatening her, bringing up the two magic weapons of Zhou's father and the media to instill fear in Zhou Yi'an.
After thinking for a long time, Zhou Yi'an slowly walked over and stood very close to her.
Xu Qingzhu disliked the smell on her; it was a strong, pungent smell of smoke.
Xu Qingzhu took half a step back.
Zhou Yi'an smiled slightly, a wicked smile, "I think Miss Xu makes a lot of sense."
Xu Qingzhu's eyes were clear and transparent, yet they were also like the unfathomable depths of the sea, making it impossible to guess what she was thinking. Just by looking at her calmly, one could feel the pressure.
Zhou Yi'an was not to be outdone. She reached out and gently brushed the non-existent dust off Xu Qingzhu's shoulder, then leaned closer and spoke in a low voice, "Little cutie, why are you so hostile towards me?"
Xu Qingzhu took a step back, her brows furrowed as if they were a small mountain.
“How can someone as beautiful as you be so malicious?” Zhou Yi’an continued, “Can’t I just come here to find a job? After all, I graduated from the design department of a top foreign university and have a lot of work experience.”
“I’ve worked at ME for a year and a half, and last year I won the RT New Designer of the Year award. I’m more than qualified to work at your Minghui Jewelry. Why can’t you think of me as someone who’s here to help you out of your predicament and return to your peak, thus proving my abilities?” Zhou Yi’an chuckled as she said this, “After all, Minghui Jewelry was once a legend in Haizhou City.”
Xu Qingzhu's face clearly showed two words—disbelief.
She had a lot of work to do afterward and didn't want to argue with Zhou Yi'an. She helped Zhou Yi'an back to create some distance between them, her voice growing colder, "I hope Ms. Zhou will keep her word."
Zhou Yi'an: "...?"
That's it?
She was waiting for Xu Qingzhu to retort.
Xu Qingzhu said, "I hope that designer Zhou's arrival will bring Minghui Jewelry back to life."
Zhou Yi'an: "..."
//
Lunchtime.
Sally's gossipy nature was completely uncontrollable, so she went to Xu Qingzhu's office and asked her again and again.
Xu Qingzhu sighed helplessly, "Cherry, do something about her."
Lin Luoxi scoffed, "Uncontrollable, this is a wild horse that has broken free."
Afterwards, Xu Qingzhu, unable to bear her nagging any longer, briefly told her about the grudge between herself and Zhou Yi'an.
After listening, Sally only came to one conclusion: Zhou Yi'an is Xu Qingzhu's rival in love.
"OMG. You're married to Liang Shi, and you still won't let the mistress go! Did she not find a way to get through to Liang Shi, so she's coming after you?" Sally crossed her arms, as anxious as an ant on a hot plate. "The mistress has come to your doorstep, and you're still so calm? Blanche! Put down the documents you're holding!"
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
She sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation, "What's mine can't be taken away, and what's not mine can't be kept."
Sally: "..."
She poked Lin Luoxi, "What do you mean?"
Lin Luoxi was eating when she stuck her chopsticks into her rice and explained in a harsh tone in English, "It means that if you wanted to leave back then, I could have tied steel bars to your legs and you still would have left."
Sally: "..."
Sally shrank back, not daring to provoke Lin Luoxi any further, and continued to say to Xu Qingzhu, "Blanche, this must be fought."
"What kind of war are we starting?" Xu Qingzhu said, "I've checked the information. Zhou Yi'an is indeed RT's New Designer of the Year, and during her year at ME, she created two of ME's best-selling designs."
"Is Mr. Zhou...?" Lin Luoxi pointed to the ceiling, her tone cryptic, "...that one?"
"Yes," Xu Qingzhu said with a wry smile, "How many Mr. Zhous are there in the entire Haizhou City?"
Fortunately, Mr. Zhou wasn't too confused.
Even if he dotes on Zhou Yi'an, there are limits.
I heard that Zhou Yi'an was put in solitary confinement after the last banquet.
Mr. Zhou was furious and immediately suspended her card, no matter how much Mrs. Zhou pleaded.
"If that's the case, then we can't afford to offend her at all," Lin Luoxi said worriedly. "You and Liang Shi won't really divorce because of her, will you?"
Xu Qingzhu paused for a few seconds, then said very seriously, "Even if Liang Shi and I divorce one day, it won't be because of Zhou Yi'an."
Their divorce was a foregone conclusion.
Sally, a weasel desperately wanting to eat melons, is extremely anxious because she can't because of the language barrier.
She began to regret, "If only I had learned more Chinese when I was in school."
Lin Luoxi scoffed, "You've been in China for four years and your Chinese is still so bad. If there were a Chinese proficiency test, you probably wouldn't even pass level two."
Sally: "It's because Chinese is too difficult! Pinyin is too hard to learn."
Sally and Lin Luoxi started their daily bickering.
Xu Qingzhu buried herself in signing documents, and then took a moment to send a message to her father, asking if he was at the company and saying she wanted to meet him.
She needs to figure out why Zhou Yi'an came to Minghui.
“Blanche.” After Sally and Lin Luoxi made peace, Sally turned to Xu Qingzhu and said, “From now on, you’re not allowed to let Liang Shi drive you to the company, nor are you allowed to let her pick you up. Otherwise, it will create opportunities for her and her mistress to meet, which is called…”
She racked her brains before coming up with an idiom: "Raising a tiger will only bring trouble."
Xu Qingzhu nodded, "I understand."
but--
“Sally, don’t use those kinds of words at the company anymore, and don’t bring your personal matters into the company,” Xu Qingzhu said. “A company is a company. If Zhou Yi’an is really talented, I will definitely make the best use of her. I don’t want my personal matters to affect the company’s development.”
Especially now that the company itself is already struggling.
If Zhou Yi'an's arrival can change the current predicament, she doesn't care.
She started eating after reading the documents, but halfway through her meal, she received a reply from Xu Guangyao saying that he was there and that she could come over anytime.
Xu Qingzhu ate a few mouthfuls of rice, said goodbye to Lin Luoxi, and hurriedly left the office.
She also ran into Zhou Yi'an while going upstairs.
Zhou Yi'an, holding an iced Americano, nodded to Xu Qingzhu and asked in a teasing tone, "Little cutie, where are you going?"
Xu Qingzhu frowned. "It has nothing to do with you."
The elevator doors opened, and Xu Qingzhu stopped before stepping into the elevator, saying very seriously, "Don't call me that."
Zhou Yi'an: "Which one?"
Thinking Xu Qingzhu would fall for a trick, Xu Qingzhu said expressionlessly, "The kind you just mentioned."
She said, "I'm afraid I'll throw up even the midnight snack I had last night."
Zhou Yi'an: "..."
"I'm so sorry then." Zhou Yi'an raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were a person with a sense of humor."
Xu Qingzhu suddenly smiled, like a spring breeze, then suppressed her smile, her voice becoming much gentler than before.
Zhou Yi'an asked doubtfully, "Is it that funny?"
Xu Qingzhu shook her head. "I'm sorry, I wasn't laughing at you."
A smile spread across her face, a perfect blend of radiance and innocence. "I was just thinking about my wife. I'm not exactly a person without romance."
The smile on Zhou Yi'an's face vanished instantly upon hearing Liang Shi's name.
My skill level is relatively low; I haven't yet reached the point where I can remain unfazed even if Mount Tai collapses before me.
Xu Qingzhu continued, "However, I usually only have romantic moments with my wife, such as calling her my darling wife."
When she said the last four words, Xu Qingzhu's tone rose at the end, making it sound particularly intimate and even a little ambiguous.
Especially when she speaks in a slightly aloof voice, it makes one's thoughts wander and one's imagination run wild.
The outer packaging of the iced Americano in Zhou Yi'an's hand was slightly deformed.
Xu Qingzhu's smile remained unchanged, and her voice was gentle, "We've never shown our affection in public, especially not in a place like the company. Even if my wife were standing here, I wouldn't engage in such playful banter with her. Besides, I think that fun is only meaningful when shared with someone you love. What do you think, Miss Zhou?"
Zhou Yi'an: "...You!"
She gritted her teeth and said one word before Xu Qingzhu interrupted her, "Otherwise, it could easily become workplace sexual harassment."
Zhou Yi'an: "..."
"I'm leaving now," Xu Qingzhu said. "Designer Zhou, work hard."
Zhou Yi'an finally couldn't hold back anymore, "Xu Qingzhu, you really have a sharp tongue."
The elevator doors closed slowly, and Xu Qingzhu maintained a faint smile throughout.
Zhou Yi'an was so angry that her face almost contorted.
Really!
Depend on.